ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — 9 Investigates found out patients may have no way of knowing if their doctor is under review by the board.
A local surgeon was sanctioned after making a deadly mistake while operating on an 11-year-old boy.
It took seven months for the board to hear that case, and during that time, patients had no way to know if their doctor was under investigation.
9 Investigates dug deeper into open healthcare cases and found while reporting them can be slow, getting those cases heard before a board can be slower.
When the state board does determine a doctor needs to be sanctioned, there’s no national database a patient can search for that information, forcing them to rely on private companies like Healthgrades.com, which updates quarterly and covers 14 states.
A search for Dr. Kamal Pourmoghadam shows no malpractice claims sanctions or board actions, and a five-star rating.
Even though the board did take action April 22, Channel 9 found a malpractice suit he settled in Pennsylvania for $1 million in 2008, but there’s no mention of that on Healthgrades.com
“That would make me think twice about even a professional with a good-rating online, make me want to dig a little deeper,” said Orlando resident Alexa Cameron.
The Department of Health’s website shows the lawsuit, along with the final order on the doctor’s sanction.
But during the investigation, a patient would have no idea what was going on.
“There could be someone with a past or other malpractice that you’re not aware of, and you’re trusting your family’s health in their hands,” said Cameron said.
The Department of Health has 1,352 open cases that are more than a year old and patients seeing those health care providers have no way to know an investigation is ongoing until it’s closed.
The state is working to reduce the number of cases that have been open more than a year.
Seminole County residents took to the streets to show their thanks to Seminole County firefighters who were nearly disciplined for a grocery store run on the clock.
WFTV
